Chapter 1711: The Chance in the Iron Plate
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Luck!
Those who understood the true reason for Steamed Bun’s actions would all think this way. After all, this wasn’t a prediction that had come from Glory experience or awareness, it was just a childish instinct. Steamed Bun probably didn’t understand the true danger of the attack that Wu Qi had Cruel Silence execute.
But this kind of childish instinct, was it a type of intuition? It was hard to say. In any case, what happened now was that Cruel Silence was stopped short by Steamed Bun’s Paralysis Needle, and after that, well, Tang Rou had never stopped Soft Mist’s attacks. When Cruel Silence suddenly appeared right in front of her, his dagger just about to hit her, Tang Rou had been extremely startled. In this kind of crucial moment, she had acted without thinking. Her attacks immediately focused on Cruel Silence.
Without Steamed Bun’s interference, Tang Rou’s instinctive reaction really might not have come fast enough. But now, with Steamed Bun disrupting things, Tang Rou’s immediate change of target became a huge burst!
If she hadn’t burst forth with an attack, then she would have been hit. In this kind of dangerous moment, did Tang Rou’s ferocity even need to be mentioned?
Ye Xiu’s Lord Grim had come over to help. But he didn’t go to attack Cruel Silence; instead, he headed toward Sun Xiang’s One Autumn Leaf, blocking Sun Xiang’s close-range support.
Zhou Zekai’s Cloud Piercer and Su Mucheng’s Dancing Rain were in a similar situation. Because these two characters were standing at a long-range, no one was coming to disrupt them. Zhou Zekai readjusted his aim to try and force back Happy’s surging counterattack.
At this moment, Jiang Botao was truly a bit speechless.
He still remembered that not long ago, he had been the focus of Happy’s fire. How come, in the blink of an eye, his Empty Waves was left hanging out to dry? Happy’s four characters, he couldn’t see the face of a single one. What were they doing? Was there still a clear strategic goal? Was there still a firm plan?
It was a mess, completely a mess.
Right now, this was just a mess of a battle. Happy didn’t have a clear goal or intent, they were just chaotically fighting. Samsara could only deal with the attacks as they came. With Happy’s strange rhythm, Samsara had actually been forced on the defensive.
This can’t continue!
Left to the side, Jiang Botao had a clear view of the battle. Happy didn’t seem to have any organization, nor any strategy, but they definitely still had a goal. This kind of large chaotic battle was a frequent sight in Glory’s in-game Arena. It was a path for the unskilled. Happy’s skill was of course much higher than that of in-game players, but they couldn’t change how low-end this kind of chaotic fight was.
But this was exactly Happy’s goal. They wanted to drag Samsara down into this low-level rhythm and atmosphere, and then use their thorough low-level experience to defeat Samsara. Right now, they could already see the effects. Samsara was being forced on the defensive, because this didn’t follow the match logic that they were used to. The pro players on the field right now were used to taking a step and looking three steps ahead. But now, they couldn’t see three steps ahead, Happy took one step and they followed one step, and then, that was all…
They had to control the rhythm. They couldn’t be dragged along by Happy.
Jiang Botao was very conscious of this, and the other three from Samsara had noticed this as well. But Happy was pressing hard on Sun Xiang’s One Autumn Leaf and Wu Qi’s Cruel Silence, so for now the two of them could only follow Happy’s rhythm. On the other hand, Zhou Zekai’s Cloud Piercer was far away, and no one was interfering with his adjustments.
No longer protecting those two people. No longer trying to disrupt Happy’s offensive. Cloud Piercer’s attack suddenly had a clear direction.
Lord Grim!
Ye Xiu’s Lord Grim.
Well done.
Jiang Botao praised him internally. Zhou Zekai’s judgment was as fast and accurate as ever. Focusing Lord Grim was the best way of breaking the current situation. There was in fact some order hidden in the chaos of Happy’s fighting, and Ye Xiu was the only one taking responsibility for it. It was his Lord Grim that used the fast rhythm of switching between low-level skills in order to connect everyone else.
Attack Lord Grim, and Happy’s chaotic fighting would truly be reduced to nothing but a low-level struggle, and Sun Xiang and Wu Qi would be able to find a breakthrough point.
One after the other, Zhou Zekai and Jiang Botao began a pincer attack. The two didn’t communicate in their team channel, but the coordination of their offense demonstrated a tacit understanding beyond compare. Even though Zhou Zekai and Sun Xiang were the Best Partners of this season, but Jiang Botao, who had tied together Zhou Zekai and the rest of Samsara when he joined the team, was unquestionably the player that understood Zhou Zekai the best. It was only because he wasn’t as flashy onstage as Zhou Zekai or Sun Xiang was; his coordination, his understanding, it was always demonstrated quietly.
Right now, for example, Zhou Zekai’s Cloud Piercer began firing powerful shots toward Lord Grim. In comparison, Jiang Botao seemed less hurried, Empty Waves’ movements seemed to be slower by half a beat, but this half-beat difference perfectly cut off Lord Grim’s path of retreat.
The one who would s.h.i.+ne beautifully on the battlefield would be Zhou Zekai’s Cloud Piercer. And amidst this beauty, Jiang Botao would be doing the tiring, dirty work. He quietly supported Zhou Zekai. This was what he had always done after arriving at Samsara.
Dodge!
Under Cloud Piercer’s offensive, Ye Xiu had no choice but to control Lord Grim to dodge.
But to the right was Soft Mist and Steamed Bun Invasion. If he dodged in that direction, the fire would interrupt the rhythm of those two. If he dodged back, Empty Waves’ Wave Slash had already caught up, he had no way of stepping back and adjusting. Right now, it seemed he had only one choice, going left…
Going left, he would leave the three-person offensive unit he’d established; going left, he would be acting within Samsara’s predictions, and there would definitely be a more difficult offensive waiting for him.
But aside from this, did he have any other choice?
Go forward?
Today, Happy had already demonstrated their courage numerous times. Under this kind of pressure, they frequently surged forward to fight fire with fire, even using their healer as an additional source of raw power. When they remembered Lord Grim swiftly charging forward, dodging the bullets that flew his way, with his Myriad Manifestations Umbrella s.h.i.+fting hundreds and thousands of times in his hands, countless people were already jumping with excitement. But this time, Ye Xiu let them down.
Lord Grim didn’t charge forward to Cloud Piercer, but nor did he move to the left as Samsara was hoping.
He stepped back!
Jiang Botao was stunned.
Ye Xiu hadn’t chosen to meet Cloud Piercer and his gunfire head on. He’d instead chosen to retreat backward, he was running toward the area under Empty Waves’ control.
A huge surprise!
Everyone had been mentally prepared for him to charge through Cloud Piercer’s fire, but retreating backward, breaking through Empty Waves’ end, no one had expected this.
Because Jiang Botao’s movement was slow by half a beat.
This seemed as though his reaction was delayed compared to Zhou Zekai, but this was his strength. Acting just a hair slower meant that his movement was more effective. He waited to see Zhou Zekai’s offensive before confirming how he would coordinate with him. With no att.i.tude of fighting for the spotlight, his actions seemed simpler, yet they were more useful.
It could be said like this.
Although Cloud Piercer’s fire was sharp, Empty Waves’ coordination was more dangerous.
But there was a prerequisite, this danger depended on Cloud Piercer’s powerful offensive. Without the pressure of this offensive, this so-called danger no longer existed.
Jiang Botao’s style was completely different from Wu Qi’s. He wasn’t trying hide the deadly amidst the beauty. He simply used a more pragmatic style to support the beautiful offense of his teammates, especially that of Zhou Zekai.
And his kind of pragmatism was more solid and reliable, so much so that although people would think of charging Zhou Zekai’s spearhead, no one thought of charging Jiang Botao’s iron plate. But Ye Xiu did exactly that.
“What’s this guy trying to do?”
The pro players all let out exclamations of surprise. Everyone understood Jiang Botao’s style and his way of cooperating with Zhou Zekai. They all knew that under these circ.u.mstances, Jiang Botao’s area would pose a greater threat.
But after everyone expressed their surprise, they all couldn’t help but exchange glances.
“Reverse thinking?” Yu Wenzhou said.
“That’s bold,” Huang Shaotian said. As Glory’s most famous opportunist, he could understand Ye Xiu’s thought of “this isn’t an opportunity, but I’ll make it one.” But this didn’t necessarily mean that this was a beautiful choice, only that it was an extremely bold one.
No one would think that this was an opportunity, no one would make this kind of choice. As time went on, even Jiang Botao himself had gotten used to this kind of situation. He hadn’t slacked off because of this, but when Ye Xiu’s Lord Grim charged at him, he discovered that he was extremely unfamiliar with dealing with this kind of situation. He discovered that, in reality, he didn’t have much experience in facing this kind of powerful charge. Most of the time, the opponent would be scared into retreating, and those that charged forward didn’t do so with courage and belief, they had simply had a lapse of judgment and made the mistake of cras.h.i.+ng against the iron plate.
Ye Xiu hadn’t made a mistake, Ye Xiu had acted on purpose. What he demonstrated was still that one word: fast.
Turning around while retreating, beginning a skill while turning, moving at a high speed while beginning the skill.
Jiang Botao saw all of this, but he couldn’t keep up with this kind of rhythm. His awareness, his control, it all seemed to have entered cooldown. His controls hadn’t stopped, but he himself knew, slow, too slow, compared to Ye Xiu’s fast, he was far too slow.
In the blink of an eye, Lord Grim had arrived before him. That Wave Wheel Slasher that had been viewed as an iron plate was now fluttering like a tissue in the wind. Cloud Piercer’s bullets were still chasing Lord Grim, but at this moment, in a trance, Jiang Botao almost felt like those bullets were coming at him, that they were covering Lord Grim’s offensive.
Colliding Stab!
Lord Grim crashed into Empty Waves. Right after, Tang Rou, Steamed Bun, those two characters also switched their target immediately, suddenly rus.h.i.+ng in this direction as well. Su Mucheng’s heavy firepower on the other end of the map had already begun blasting toward Empty Waves.
Switch… switching targets again?
Happy’s rhythm had truly made Jiang Botao dizzy. There was no organization sometimes, yet in just a moment, this kind focused fire could burst forth. This rapid switching meant that Samsara was always chasing Happy’s rhythm. They’d firmly lost the initiative!